Dancing In A Field Of Daisies
by nariai
Summary: When Suzuya Nao thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Suzuya Juuzou's twin sister]
1. Chapter 1

_Important!_

 _It's been so long since I've updated this story. As some of you might have noticed, this isn't really a new chapter. I've decided to put the first two chapters together and added an extra scene at the end._

 _There are no real excuses for why this story is progressing so slowly. The only thing that I can say is that I'm really sorry for the long wait. I hope the next chapter will be finished faster than this one._

 _Anyway, I belatedly wish you all a happy new year and hope that you'll enjoy the short addition to this story._

 _nariai_

* * *

 **When I started writing my first Self-Insert into Tokyo Ghoul, I had actually two ideas. 'Metempsychosis' being the first and this the second one. I hope you will enjoy it.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: When Suzuya Nao thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Suzuya Juuzou's twin sister]  
**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Dancing In A Field Of Daisies_

 _Chapter 1_

 _Prologue_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Caused A Hurricane_

* * *

 _"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."  
― Vincent van Gogh_

* * *

I.

When she thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel.

Christians generally did not believe in reincarnation and she had been more of a heaven kind of person, but that did not mean that she was completely against the idea of a second life. It would, however, have been preferable to be a part of a good middle-class family that lived in a safe neighborhood somewhere in England. As it was, she ended up being reborn in one of the shadier parts of Tokyo inside a brothel that was disguised as a strip club. Her new mother was, in lack of better words, a whore who did not even know which of her clients had fathered her children.

Yeah, _children._ Not singular but _plural._

She wasn't the first child _Suzuya_ Kori gave birth to on the 8th of June 1996. She had a twin brother that preceded her only by two hours.

But it's not as if she had known all that when she entered her new life. The girl had not even been aware of the fact that she had been _reincarnated,_ let alone that her new mother was a prostitute and that she now had a twin brother.

Quite honestly, she could not remember much of that evening. Her crippled senses had caused more confusion than enlightenment and the foreign language that rung in her ears did nothing to soothe her confusion. Fortunately, her infant body had been too weak to stay awake for longer than a few minutes and she fell asleep soon. She did not truly wake up for the following four months. The mind of a sixteen year old girl was just too advanced for her new body.

Around her fourth month her senses started to clear. Although the girl's mind could finally form a coherent thought, she still spent most of the time asleep, unable to cope with her new existence. It wasn't as if she did not know that she had _died._

The girl could remember being _shot._

 _It_ happened while she had been walking home after school. There had been a commotion in a store and a few police cars were stationed before the small building. A man with a bright yellow hoodie stood inside the store, his left arm raised and a gun pointed at the cashier.

Her curiosity had always been one of her biggest flaws. Instead of continuing to walk home, she stopped to take a look.

Staying ended up being the last mistake she ever made in her first life. As she lingered near the store a loud noise reached her ears and threatened to burst her eardrums. Glass shattered. Her midsection _burned._

One bullet managed to hit her and then it was all over. She had laid there _alone_ on the hard ground and no one had noticed until it was too late.

Remembering what had happened to her was _painful._ She had been _young_ and filled with _so_ much hope for a wonderful future. Traveling around the world and becoming a professional ballet dancer had been two of her biggest dreams. Now, they just seemed like the childish wishes of a naive girl.

Those dreams were just silly hopes that became unreachable the moment death claimed her. The world she now lived in wasn't one that would allow her to reach such foolish goals, this was something she realized a few months after she accepted what had happened to her.

 _She had died. And now she lived once again in a world that wasn't quite like the one she could remember._

Five months had already passed by the time she finally accepted those facts. The following weeks were full of deductions that she really had not been all that eager to find out.

From the sound of the language she knew that she was somewhere in _Japan_ and because of the noises that rung through her new 'home' the girl guessed that she had to be in some kind of house of pleasure. There wasn't a time of the day when she could not hear moaning or loud grunts. Shrieks of pleasure echoed through the whole building.

Around that time she also came to know two other things. First, she had a twin brother. Second, her new name wasn't all that bad.

 _Suzuya Nao._

It had a nice sound, though she did not know its meaning at first. Later she would end up finding it quite ironic because her new name gave her the one quality she would never have. _Honesty_ wasn't something she could use in this new life. Her existence alone stopped her from doing so. After all, it wasn't as if she could just tell the next best person about her whole situation.

But all that did not matter when she was still an infant that did not even know half as much as she should about her new world. As an almost six months old baby, Nao had still believed in the possibility of meeting her _family_ once again. She had believed that perhaps her dreams could still be fulfilled and that this new life was something _good._ A gift, perhaps.

Inside the too small crib the twins were forced to share, Nao had deluded herself into believing that the world was still the same place she had once known. All the possibilities and privileges of her previous life were still available.

 _Or so she had thought._

But how could she have not? Nao was mentally only sixteen years old and although she was not a child by any means, that did not change the fact that she wasn't an adult either.

Controlled by the instincts of her new body, she became more childish than she could recall ever being. Most of the time, the girl observed her surroundings with thinly hidden fascination. She did not see any differences that could have informed her that she wasn't in her _universe_ anymore. In that small dingy room, bereft of anything truly interesting, her _twin_ brother was the only person who truly managed to soothe her boredom. He was there, almost every second of the day, only gone when their mother came to take care of them.

The woman fed them, bathed them and changed their diapers, nothing more.

While Nao did feel slightly connected to Kori, it was her twin whom she truly came to _love._

In the end, _Suzuya Rei_ was the only true companion Nao would have in her crusade for a better life.

* * *

II.

For their first birthday the twins received a set of building blocks.

There were about fifteen of them and each and every single one had a different color and kanji inscribed on the underside. Although it was a present they had to share, both children still appreciated the gift.

Nao was thankful that her brother finally had something to do and that she could start learning how to read this new language. Considering that she did not even know one kanji, those fifteen colors were actually a very good beginning.

Besides, they were Rei's favorite pastime and Nao rather enjoyed seeing her brother smile.

''Look!'' Exclaimed Rei while pointing at the small tower he had built. ''Look! Look!''

Due to their sparse interactions with adults, their vocabulary was very limited. Nao probably understood more than her brother, but not by much.

Raising a hand to cover her mouth and slightly amused smile, the dark haired girl forced an awed expression onto her face. ''Wow...''

A gleeful look appeared in the other child's eyes that were beckoning her to move towards him.

Nao sighed in exasperation and fondness, wondering why this sweet little boy had to be punished with such a neglectful mother.

Being loved by ones parent was not a certainty, but a privilege Rei had not been granted. In her own way Kori seemed to care about the both of them, but she would always love _herself_ more than them.

Crawling towards the small pile of pillows that had been laid down on the floor for them, Noa's frown turned into a bright smile as she watched her brother babble and wave his arms animatedly. That smile changed into a grin when the boy decided to play Godzilla and destroy the 'building' he had created.

As a result he fell backwards onto the mass of pillows and giggled happily.

Among all the people she knew, Nao believed that Suzuya Rei was the one who should have been given everything he could ever desire.

But life wasn't fair and thus he ended up being born in a brothel to a neglectful mother that did not provide him with the care he needed.

And no matter how much she wanted to help him, with her current body there was only so much Nao could give her brother.

''Nao!'' Tiny hands were stretched out in her direction and Nao grasped them once she finally reached the small boy. She wasn't strong enough to pull him upwards, so the physically young girl just plopped down next to him.

Before he could decided to find something new and possibly stupid to do, the female toddler wrapped her arms around her twin's waist and blew some air onto his fluffy hair.

Underneath her hand, Nao could feel her brother's steady heartbeat. It quickened a little as Rei tried to free himself from her hold, but he gave up after a short while.

Tiredly, the child rubbed his eyes and leaned his forehead against that of his sister. Crimson eyes reflected a small part of her face and struggled to stay open. It was astounding how quickly her brother could go from energy filled to completely tired.

Brushing a few strands of his hair to the side, Nao picked up one of his hands to cover his yawning mouth.

Their mother might not have cared enough to teach them anything important, but that did not mean that Rei would grow up to be some uncivilized idiot. If their caretakers didn't do it, then Nao would have to teach her brother how to behave properly.

Manners were very important, especially if they wanted to get far later in life...

...

...and Nao truly _despised_ it when people yawned without covering their mouths.

When he was old enough to know of and understand the repercussions of bad behavior Nao would stop trying to rectify what he did. But as he didn't even know of the consequences insulting someone could bring, the young girl would try schooling her brother.

She did not want to see him hurt because he said something wrong to one of the brothel's clients.

This was the least Nao _could_ do to protect her twin.

* * *

III.

At the age of two, Nao had learned quite a lot about her new life.

Not only was she finally somewhat proficient at speaking the local language, but she now also knew where exactly she was. Japan had been a rather vague location and knowing in which city she lived was as much of a blessing as it was a curse.

Tokyo's sixth ward belonged to some of the more dangerous places in the city and had a high... _ghoul population..._

 _..._

 _...and hadn't that just been a wonderful surprise?_

After dying Noa had somehow managed to stumble into a _fictional_ universe. With all the places she could have ended up in, it just had to be one of the most _dangerous_ and _tragic worlds_.

 _Tokyo Ghoul._

For a moment Noa had been thankful for not being reborn as the twin of someone like _Kaneki Ken,_ but then she quickly realized _who_ her own brother was and what a twisted future was awaiting the both of them.

Suzuya _Juuzou_ might have been a badass character, however, their life wasn't just a _story_ anymore. Everything that happened to the psychotic investigator she had once read about in a manga would now most probably happen to Nao as well.

 _Together with her twin brother she would become a ghoul's_ slave _._

And though she wished to somehow save them both, the girl wasn't actually naive enough to believe that she could protect them from an adult ghoul.

Especially as she had no idea how her brother came to be that _monster's_ possession.

There were too many theories running through her head and too little time to fight against their fate. If Nao did not think up a perfect plan in time, both Rei and her would end up as Madam A's _pets_ sooner rather than later.

(... For a while she had thought about _abandoning_ her brother, but not even that would truly secure her own safety. Running around Tokyo's streets _alone_ would be like signing her own death sentence...

...

...Besides, Suzuya Nao truly did _love_ her brother and she did not dare to make his situation even worse than what it was actually already meant to be...

...and yet she could not leave him either. As such, the girl stayed and foolishly _hoped_ for the best.)

A rescue option had arrived the same day the girl realized that she wasn't in her own _universe_ anymore.

Even in this world _red_ wasn't a common eye color. Surprisingly, their mother had two clients with orbs of such a shade. One of them was a rather sleazy looking guy in his mid-thirties. His eyes were the only trait he had in common with the twins.

The other just so happened to be a _ghoul investigator._

He might have been low-ranked, but he was still powerful enough for the occupants of her new 'home' to be cautious around him.

Both Rei and Nao had inherited not only the man's coloring, but also his cheekbones and nose. While Kori couldn't have known which of her clients had father her children during the nine months of her pregnancy, she certainly knew it after their birth.

 _Neither of the adults seemed to care._

The man who Nao assumed was their father had been led into her new mother's 'work chambers' during the after hours. She was his favorite and the owner of the brothel did not want to anger a government employee.

His white—Though it had been pink at that moment due to the red light shining above their heads.—trench coat and silver suitcase were the first things Nao had noticed about him. Then came his pitch black hair and finally his crimson eyes.

Unsure of what to do, Nao had watched how her new mother's personality seemed to change within seconds. Her lazy and sluggish movements became seductive and sensual as she raised herself off the bed the three of them were occupying—The girl had been disgusted the first time she found herself seated on _that_ bed, but at the end she did not have much of a _choice._ —and using to play a board game on.

It hadn't been much of a game to begin with. The whole thing ended up being about who could steal more pieces from the other.

That did not mean Nao wasn't angered by the fact that some stranger was interrupting and shortening their time outside of the nursery. Due to their _unpleasant_ living arrangements, the children were forced to spent most of their time inside a small dingy room with little else to do but stare at each other or come up with new games.

Their only reprieve was the after hours during which they were allowed to leave their 'prison'.

Nao had truly not appreciated some man taking this small reprieve from them because he desired a good _fuck._ His very obvious relation to them did not make her feel any more benevolent.

 _(... She ignored the twinge in her heart upon seeing him glance in their direction and promptly deem them both inconsequential...)_

Observing how her mother practically rubbed herself against the man who was most likely her father and client wasn't what she had planned for that evening. Hearing her address him as 'her Favorite Investigator' or 'Vanquisher of Ghouls' made the whole evening even worse.

Putting one and one together wasn't hard and although she would have loved to delude herself, Nao did not find the whole concept of 'dying and reincarnating into a once fictional universe' impossible anymore. And it would certainly explain some of the things she had heard coming from one of the female employee's radio.

As such, at the age of two, Nao became aware of a few very important fact in this new life. First, she had been reborn into Tokyo Ghoul as the twin sister of the _Suzuya Juuzou._ Second, if she did not come up with a solution soon, then she would probably die before her tenth birthday.

Lastly, such a thing as compassion did not exist in this world of monsters...

...

...

... And sometimes the true monsters did not just wear human skin, no, they _were_ human.

Madoka Hayato, their 'father', just so happened to be one of them. A monster that abandoned his own children without any hesitation and used the power his social standing gave him to suppress those that were weaker than him.

Instead of trying to help them, he left both children behind in a brothel, not caring about the fact that they were indeed his own flesh and blood.

Their own father damned them to a horrible future and for that Noa would come to _hate_ him in the following years...

 _..._

 _..._

 _...Unfortunately, the same thing applied to their mother._

* * *

IV.

As the months passed, Nao was forced to accept that she would most likely end up being illiterate in this second life of hers. Although she knew a handful of kanji, there was no one in her new 'home' who could teach her the rest of them. The girl might not have been stupid, but she certainly wasn't smart enough to teach herself how to read Japanese.

At least she still remembered the English language. It probably would not be too helpful during some daily situations, however, it was preferable to not knowing how to read at all.

That was the reason why she chose to teach her brother. Nao doubted that the Japanese they learned at the brothel had the best of qualities. Neither did anyone bother to teach them the societal rules of this country. If she did not take care of her brother's eduction, the boy would end up being a completely illiterate heathen in the future.

From what she knew about their birth country, good manners were a big part of its culture. To have a good future, they would both have to fit into society without insulting people during their first meetings.

At the end, all Suzuya Nao ever wanted for Rei and herself was to be _happy._

 _(...Though sometimes happiness seemed like something completely unattainable in this world...)_

She certainly did not want to follow her mother's profession. The brothel owner might have considered the Suzuya twins as future workers, but working in his establishment was the last thing Nao would ever do.

She would not become a possession of that sleazy man and she would not sentence her brother to such a fate either.

 _''What that?''_ Rei asked in a broken English while startling her by thrusting a finger in front of her nose. He was at the stage where he constantly questioned the things surrounding them and absorbed the information given to him like a sponge.

 _''What_ is _that, Rei. You can't forget the 'is',''_ corrected Nao as she took a hold of her twin's hand. _''And to answer your question, that's a nose.''_

His face scrunched up. _''Nosuu?''_

 _''Nose.''_ The girl bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. _''It's nose and next to your nose, on either side, you have eyes.''_

 _''Nouse and ayes?''_ His head was tilted curiously to the right and a childish pout adorned his lips. This time Nao did not even try to stop herself from giggling. Sometimes, Rei was just too cute for his own good.

Patting his head, the female twin smiled encouragingly. _''You've almost got it right.''_

It was only half an hour later that her twin could properly name most parts of a human face. His progress filled Nao with strange sort of _pride._


	2. Chapter 2

**I've finally finished the second chapter. Once again, it took me a long while. Sorry.**

 **I am not sure when I will be able to update this story again. Hopefully, it won't take me as long as the last time.**

 **On another note, I've passed my first exam! Most of you probably aren't really interested in this, but I'm currently just very happy and relieved because of this.**

 **Recommendation!** **: I have published a new story once again. Sometimes, I just can't help myself. Anyway, it is a Self-Insert into Harry Potter. If you are interested in that fandom, then try it out.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: When Suzuya Nao thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Suzuya Juuzo's twin sister]**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Dancing In A Field Of Daisies_

 _Chapter 2_

 _Way Down We Go_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where A Nightmare Begun_

* * *

 _"Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin."_

 _― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars_

 _"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves"_  
 _― Abraham Lincoln, Complete Works - Volume XII_

* * *

V.

Only once did Nao truly meet the brothel owner as well as her mother's pimp.

Ishikawa Ren was a tall Japanese man with a slightly round stomach and too little facial hair. His expression seemed to be fixed into a perpetual glare and his words were often unnecessarily harsh.

He treated the women in his establishment as if they were his slaves and for all that Nao knew, they might as well have been just that.

The way his eyes slid across her form when he saw her made the girl shudder in discomfort and apprehension. It were his words, however, that made the blood in her veins freeze.

''She'll do fine in the future,'' muttered the man after he finished his inspection of her.

There was no doubt in her mind about what he meant with that statement. Knowing what the adults in her life most likely planned for her future did nothing to prepare her for the reality of it.

Had she been a little older, then Nao would have despaired at how hopeless her situation seemed to be. As it was, she knew that her future might hold something far worse than 'working' for this man. She also knew that at least for now Rei and her should be safe.

How long this safety would last, Nao had no idea. There was still a part of her that considered just running away, but the girl knew that the chances that she would actually make it with her twin were very slim.

Unfortunately, she could not bring herself to abandon Rei.

By now, she loved her twin brother way too much to even consider such an option. The female twin would not abandon her brother to such a cruel future by himself.

Especially because she had no idea how it would actually come about.

''Yes,'' confirmed Kori. ''She'll be a good asset.''

Was that all the children were to their mother? Assets just waiting to be used?

''She won't have another choice and neither will her brother,'' stated Ren without any compassion in his eyes or voice. He did not care about them or their safety, only about the money they could earn him in the future.

Rarely had Nao felt so disgusted.

The man did not even seem to care that he was talking about two _children._

Silence filled the room. Even though there was nothing she wanted to do less, Nao nodded her head in agreement when the two adults expectantly looked down at her. ''I will.''

 _Never before had a lie tasted so bitter._

* * *

VI.

The shouts were the first sign of there being something wrong. Nao did not notice them immediately or rather she tried to not pay them too much attention.

When she finally realized _what_ was wrong, it was already too late.

Apparently, Kori had indebted herself to some shady character. The man and a few of his lackeys had started appearing in the brothel to demand his money back. Their mother obviously did not have the money he wanted, so she stalled him a few times.

A few times too many as Nao finally found out.

The whole conflict had escalated so far that the brothel owner was forced to get involved. That made Kori's situation only worse.

By this point it was clear that the woman needed money and she needed it very fast.

Nao had just never expected how far the prostitute was willing to go for her own safety. She had not expected that Kori would be willing to _sell_ her own _children_ to stay safe.

And yet, that was exactly what the woman did.

A hundred thousand yen, that was how much the siblings were worth to their mother. That was the money she received for them.

 _That was how much Rei's and Nao's lives were worth._

The worst thing about their whole situation wasn't that their own mother _sacrificed_ them for her own safety though, but that she did not even have the decency to give them a chance to live.

Suzuya Kori gave them up to _ghouls,_ so that they could later be sold again at an auction. The highest bidder would be allowed to do with them whatever he or she wanted.

Due to her foreknowledge, Nao had a good idea about what this would entail.

If Big Madam purchased them, then they would most probably be used as gladiators in her fighting arena. They would be nothing but dogs fighting for their own survival.

 _Two children that were barely four years old._

Anger flooded her veins as she remembered Kori's last lie. The woman had been impudent enough to tell them that everything would be _alright_ and that there had been _no_ other way.

There had been many instances in her life when Nao had felt anger, but nothing had ever been as overwhelming as the feelings that currently resided in her chest.

Admittedly, anger probably wasn't a strong enough word to describe what she was feeling now. Sitting inside a small cage with her trembling brother pushed protectively against her side, Nao realized that she had never felt such a _rage_ and _loathing_ before.

The two of them were hidden behind a curtain, waiting to be auctioned off. From her position, Nao could hear the cheering of a happy crowd.

The girl just could not even begin to comprehend how a parent could do such a thing to their child. It would have been better if Kori had just killed them to spare herself the cost of raising them rather than sentence them to the _hell_ they would now be forced to live through.

And live through it the Suzuya siblings would. Nao would ensure both her brother's and her own survival and once she finally managed to escape the clutches of their future _owner,_ the girl would go after the woman that dared to call herself their mother.

Nao would one day _slaughter_ Suzuya Kori, even if it was the last thing she would ever do.

(...a small part of her wondered how she could actually _mean_ such a thing...

...

...murder should not be an option...

...

...

...and yet, that small part was easily eclipsed by the pain Nao felt due to her supposed _mother's_ betrayal...)

The loud applause of a large crowd jarred the female twin out of her thoughts. Within seconds fear replaced whatever rage she had previously felt.

A male voice spoke through a microphone: ''And now we come to today's special. Our next and last product will be sold as a pair, a very unique pair.'' A dramatic pause. ''Please, welcome the Suzuya twins!''

The curtain fell.

A huge crowd greeted them with loud whistles and clapping.

Some of their eyes were colored red and black.

Nao felt bile rising into her mouth.

One after another the ghouls raised colorful shields with different numbers on them.

(...the thought that the twins seemed to be worth more to a room of savage _ghouls_ than to their own mother crossed Nao's mind...

...

... she had to force herself to ponder something else before she actually started to _cry_ in despair...)

As her arms tightened around Rei, Nao let her gaze wander around the room. Even during such a private event, most of the present ghouls were wearing their trademark masks to hide their identity.

Still, finding the Big Madam among all the other ghouls wasn't hard. The obese woman stood out heavily with her garishly colored clothes and strawberry blonde hair. She was constantly raising new shields, obviously intent on acquiring the twins.

Alongside her fear, disgust welled up inside Nao's chest.

Creatures such as the Big Madam should have never been allowed to exist in the first place.

An unbidden sob escaped her lips as she watched the moderator shouting their current price loudly. Tears ran down her cheeks and Nao, almost instinctively, tried to shield her brother from the _monsters_ before them.

For what felt like an eternity, the twins cowered inside the metal cage, their bodies trembling harshly and soft cries passing their lips.

The end of the caution was an expected one.

Hysterically, Nao noted that Big Madam had payed almost five times as much for them as their mother had demanded.

 _Lovely._


	3. Chapter 3

**Please leave a review.**

 **Summary: When Suzuya Nao thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Suzuya Juuzou's twin sister]**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Dancing In A Field Of Daisies_

 _Chapter 3_

 _A Long Way Down From Heaven_

 _._

 _._

 _._

* * *

 _"All hope abandon, ye who enter here."_  
 _― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy_

 _"When you're in hell, only a devil can point the way out."_  
 _― Joe Abercrombie, Half a King_

* * *

VII.

They were taken to their new mistress' home and deposited in a small cage inside of the cellar. Besides a small bucket in the corner, their prison was completely bare. It consisted only of steel bars and a concrete floor.

Nao felt _cold_ within the first few minutes of her stay inside this basement, goosebumps appearing all over her body. Regrettably, her brother was in a no better shape. His teeth were chattering as he rubbed his hands together to warm them up. Pale lips pursed into a grimace and eyes opened wide in fear.

The girl wished that her brother did not have to go through this. Right now, there was nothing she wished for more.

''Nao, I'm afraid,'' whimpered her younger twin, his tiny hands taking a hold of her thin shirt. ''I wanna go home to Kaa-chan.''

All things considered, the brothel truly would have been the better option. While Nao did not want to have anything to do with Kori ever again, being with woman would have been akin to heaven when compared to their current situation.

(...Despite having been just bought by a ghoul, Nao could easily ascertain that she had never met a person as _monstrous_ as her biological mother...)

''It's alright-'' _It really wasn't._ ''I'm here and I won't leave you.''

Tears started trailing down his cheeks and Nao's heart broke. ''I really wanna go home.''

Comforting others had never been her fort. She had eventually learned it through necessity in this life - someone had to take care of her brother, after all - but that did not mean that the girl was truly proficient at it.

Still, Nao wrapped her arms around her brother's shuddering form, putting her chin on top of his head and starting to whisper sweet nothings into the silence of the room.

There was nothing else she could do for him right now. Nothing besides holding him close, offering him both some of her warmth and a comfort that ultimately meant nothing.

Fact was, they had been sold into slavery by their own mother and it would actually be a real _miracle_ if the both of them got out of this intact.

(...internally, she knew that death was actually the _better_ option...

...

...unfortunately, Nao had always been too much of a _coward_ to take matters into her own hands...)

* * *

VIII.

They stayed in that room, _alone_ , for a whole day. No one came down to see them or even to deliver some much needed necessities.

It was the first time that Rei was forced to experience hunger and thirst for a longer period of time.

He did not take well to it.

By the time their mistress finally came to see them, Nao was _almost_ something akin to happy to see her. The girl truly loved her twin, but there was only so much of his cries that she could take in such a strenuous situation. Her nerves were beyond strained and paranoia was slowly invading all of her thoughts.

''Well, aren't you two just the _sweetest_ things ever,'' Big Madam said as her thick fingers wrapped themselves around the iron bars of the siblings' prison. ''I'll make you into my two champions, you'll see. Everybody will _love_ you.''

The obese woman cackled. ''For now, though, I've just come to explain the rules to you. Tomorrow you'll begin your training. Misbehavior will be heavily _punished._ Food and other necessities will only be made available to you through progress.'' Her smile was a cruel one. ''Work hard and you'll live. Don't and die. It's all as easy as that.''

Easy, huh? There was nothing easy about their situation.

''Do you understand?'' Questioned the woman firmly, her beady eyes regarding them hungrily.

Choosing not to anger the female ghoul, Nao elbowed her brother and then answered together with him. ''Yes.''

''Oh!'' Big Madam raised a finger into the air, an idea clearly forming in her mind. ''And do call me _Mama.''_

Unable to hide her shudder, Nao nodded her head in agreement. It wasn't as if the title the female ghoul chose to bestow upon herself really mattered. The whole thing might have been really _sick_ \- A mother was supposed to take care of her children, nurture them and make sure that they were as happy as possible - but it wasn't really worth fighting a ravenous ghoul for.

''Yes, _Mama,''_ the siblings once again answered in union.

And that was it.

* * *

IX.

Noa knew that she should have considered herself lucky that their _mistress_ did not wish to waste her money by just throwing them into the battle ring without any preparation. It was clear that as they were now, the Suzuya siblings would not stand a chance at surviving more than a minute or two.

And yet, as their trainer continued forcing them to run around the dojo, Nao actually wished that Kori had just ended them instead of forcing her children into this hell.

After all, despite her trembling limbs and parched tongue, the girl knew that this was just the _beginning._

From now on, things would only get worse.

''Move faster, brats!'' Shouted the ghoul in the middle of the room. ''Move faster or you won't get any food tonight!''

That was enough to prompt both twins to gather some of their resolve anew and start running faster than they already had. For now, their martial arts master wanted to built up their stamina and strength, only afterwards would he teach them how to _fight_ properly.

 _Teach them how to survive._

They weren't the only humans in his _tender_ care. There was another boy, who was already a teen in contrast to them, and an adult woman. Lastly, there was also a _ghoul_ being trained alongside them. From what she had gathered, Big Madam had found him lurking within her territory and decided to punish the poor guy for encroaching on her land.

Nao still had it within herself to feel sorry for the other victims.

 _(...That would change within time...)_

''I said move, you lazy little bastards,'' the man screamed once again and even from afar Nao could see the spit flying out of his mouth with each spoken word.

Afraid of what might happen if they did not heed his words, Nao grabbed a hold of her brother's hand and started pulling him alongside herself. She did this until they caught up with the slowest of the other prisoners, namely the middle-aged woman.

Pity, fear and anger warred within the stranger's eyes as they managed to bypass her. Normally such a thing should not have been possible - they were many years younger and physically a lot of weaker than her, after all - but there was something very obviously wrong with her left leg. It kept twitching unnaturally each time she stepped on it and causing her visibly much pain.

The last emotion Nao managed to glimpse on the woman's face was _desperation_ and then they were running in front of her.

''What do you think you're doing, woman!?'' The loud shout startled both Nao and Rei. ''Is this what you do with our benevolence?''

A loud thud echoed through the whole room and, looking over her shoulder, she saw that the woman had _fallen._ The sight of her laying on the floor, trembling, prompted dread to bloom within Nao's chest.

She just knew that this wouldn't end well.

Their trainer walked towards the dark haired female with menacing steps. There was something inherently _evil_ within his gaze. ''You should have done better, Nana-chan.''

One moment he was a few feet away from her, the next he sat astride whom she now knew to be Nana's back, his teeth buried deeply in the woman's shoulder. Blood gushed out of the wound and stained the wooden floor as its metallic scent started to penetrate the air.

If it were not for the large hand on her back pushing her forward, Nao might have stopped moving due to the horror she suddenly felt. As it was, she forced herself to focus on the deep voice muttering softly but insistently, ''Go, go, go, or you'll end up like her.''

Had she not been as shocked as she was, then the girl might have actually taken a few seconds to ponder the fact that the person helping them was their fellow prisoner and a _ghoul_. This did not seem to mean much anymore when compared to the sight of their trainer ripping one of Nana's arms of and munching on the bone within.

Bile rose up her throat and Nao forcefully swallowed it, ignoring the tears that started streaming down her cheeks due to the effort it took.

And yet, despite the foul taste on tongue and the burning exhaustion assaulting her entire body, Noa continued running and she would continue doing so for many more years.


End file.
